Not only did the team find that US citizens could live longer by sitting less, they found that cutting TV time to less than two hours a day could add an extra 1.4 years to their lives.
People who've spent half their waking lives sitting down might well ask, "Is it ever too late to make a change?
"That's a good question Physical activity data would say No. It's never too late.' Physical activity is good for you at every age. We don't know that yet about sitting. But one might assume it to be similar," Katzmarzyk said.
Change is already afoot in some offices, especially when it comes to desk designs
"That's one of the strategies that many companies are using now. They may have got five standing desks for their employees or a treadmill desk. I've heard of other companies where they may not have a desk for every person. But they'll have a bank of these desks where people can go for an hour a day and answer their emails or talk on the phone, Katzmarzyk said.
Katzmarzyk says simply studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives.
As a university professor, you know, it is a very sedentary occupation. We're chained to a desk in terms of writing papers and doing research. We really try to limit the amount of time we spend doing that," said Katzmarzyk.